Timetable on recovery

Kings of Leon – you heard what happened at their show in Dallas the other night? Caleb Followill was not right. And apparently hasn’t been right for a while. Here’s what he told the crowd before stumbling offstage:

"My voice is completely 100 per cent wrong, I'm sorry... Do you know what? I'm going to drink some beer and I'm going to drink some tequila and I'm going to have a good time, and for the record I'm not drunk... I'm just f-cking hot... I'm about to fall down here because I'm so goddamn hot. I have no goddamn idea what the f-ck is going on, all I know is that I'm married to the prettiest f-cking girl in the whole world...I'm gonna go backstage for a second. I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out here and I'm gonna play three more songs."

Caleb did not return. Multiple witnesses allege that he was f-cked up and was indeed seen throwing up. A mortified Jared Followill, Caleb’s brother, later pleaded with the crowd for forgiveness: "We are so unbelievably sorry, there's no words right now, honestly it's beyond our control. Caleb's just maybe a little unfit to play the rest of the show. We're so sorry guys, we love you all so much. I know you guys f-cking hate us, I'm so sorry... I can't apologise enough. It's really not our fault. He can't play the rest of the show. We will be back as soon as possible... F-cking hate Caleb, not us."

The band subsequently cancelled their next show in Houston. This was the official explanation on the band’s website:

"Kings of Leon regretfully announce the postponement of tonight's show at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Caleb Followill suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration during last night's Dallas performance causing his vocal chords to seize."

Please. Even Jared has conceded that it’s bullsh-t, posting on Twitter that:

“Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words. I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren’t stupid. I can’t lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade”

So Caleb has a problem, a problem so serious, not even his own brother wants to hide it for him anymore. Which... good. Someone needs to acknowledge it. And it doesn’t sound like their management is doing a decent job of it. They’re too busy rescheduling. The shows in Dallas and Houston have already been rebooked for September, and that’s great for the fans, it really is... only how do you put a timetable on recovery? Those dates are less than 8 weeks away. Doesn’t give him a very big window to get his sh-t sorted out, does it? This is the problem in an industry that makes wellness not the end goal but rather an optional not-always-necessary elective towards financial gain. Is he well enough to play? We’re fine if he’s well enough to play. Just until the end of the tour. At the end of the tour he can have a break. But not for too long. We need him to start working on the next album. And so on.

Caleb Followill WILL be better by September 20th. Because, you know, depression, addiction, and substance abuse, these things can be managed by a schedule.

Attached – Caleb with wife Lily Aldridge, Jared, and Nathan Followill in June at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London.